GAME 1: 18/04/09

Breakaways 14.10.94 def Shamrocks 6.2.38

Weeelllllll... A Breakaway is all i wanna be! Wow! What a game. Nice first round win - and to get the nerves stuff out of the way. Congratulations - as mentioned yesterday - a good team can start out well, play a good game and win, BUT it takes a champion team to be down (by 3 goals which was the case half way through the 2nd quarter), to turn it around with 74 scoring points! 

Congratulations to Verna aka Princess - who kicked our first goal for our first game (& her first game)! Princess did well at both ends of the field - putting pressure on Shamrock's best - their FF - Irish - who up until that time - had scored most of their goals. Taj's goal - was also pretty special - as she was facing the opposite direction!

Roxy won Players Player (picked at the pub afterwards) - and seemed to be everywhere in her CHF role and scoring 4+ goals - but also offloading the ball to other teams - when that was the best option. 

Another good result was - no serious injuries - though Taj's knee did a 180° turn, which Lynnie promptly smacked back into position - and Pam's fingers meant retiring early - btw - Pam did a great job in the first quarter with minimising Irish's possession.

A few players took a little longer to get to their style of game, but once they did - they were outstanding! Mandy & Booridge in particular. Lisa also had a great run in the backs - running directly (and fearlessly) at the ball and getting first to contests. Also good to see Rosie putting on the hard contests.

The middle pack - Tash, Nat, Roachie, Ninja, Krystle, Cassie, Brooke D etc - all had a good consistency - and the combinations worked really well - especially in that 3rd quarter - where Nat would win the ruck, to have Roachie or someone else, then secure the possession and then propel into our forward 50 etc. 10 goals in 20 minutes - that's a goal every 2 minutes - less the time it takes for the ball to get back to the centre square - approx 30 seconds!

Up front - we had some of the new girls like Laura and Brooke A impress us with their skills as well.

Overall good stuff: Many marks taken - with people putting names on balls, and good accurate kicking. People bringing themselves off to allow others to have a run - good subbing guys!

Overall excellent stuff: No 50 metre penalties given!!! and only a few penalties at all - mainly high tackles & pushes in the back - so well done.

Finally, thanks again for those who helped on the sidelines and running water. 

In particular - Karen did a great first time job (and didn't give away any penalties!), Jem - who had a niggling injury - ran messages. Max - an old Breakaway who had come down to support us, for doing the flags.

One last thing - congratulations to both Roachie (our vice captain) and Nat (our captain). These guys lead by example on the field, and Groubes and I look forward to your contribution and input!

Thanks
Jamie & Groubes

GAME 2: 25/04/09

MAC UNI FOREFIT NO GAMES THIS WEEK

GAME 3: 02/05/09

Breakaways 10-15-75 def Sydney Uni 7-7-49

A win is a win, so a great result Breakaways. I also think Uni had a lot of talented players and players who were really determined, so they are definitely a team that deserves consideration when we play them next.  4 goals in the first 7 and a half minutes! A good start with brilliant football. The rest of the first quarter saw Uni score a goal - and us score nothing.

The pattern followed for the other 3 quarters where we scored a goal within the initial 2 minutes - only then to struggle to keep Uni out of the game, and struggled to put ourselves in a clear front. We need to have a continuity throughout the entire quarter, should we want to win the next 2 games. 

From the sidelines, we saw some quality passages of play, - particularly in the middle, where the ball was handballed around. Roachie did some great spoiling of what looked like certain marks, and Tash (who won players player) and Krystal were putting on strong tackles and bumps.

Up front, Roxy did well against an opponent who was 2 feet taller than her, taking some good marks and putting through some great goals. Lisa did well in the CHB position for the first time, while Stinger (aka Mandy) was recovering from her shin splints.

Well done again team - and thanks again to those who helped out - especially Karen, Penny & Lynnie - running around in the heat, and Stinger doing the flags, Eleanor with scoring and our supporters!

Jamie

GAME 4: 09/05/09

Newtown 8.13.61 def Wests 6.5.41

What to say?? You guys sure wanted it - and you all deserve to be proud of the effort you put in and also the level of team commitment and playing for each other. You guys beat the 2008 champions - well done! I think there are a few points to us taking this game out - even though the final score was quite tight.

1) This week everyone rose to the occasion - which meant we had strength on every part of the field - whether it was in defence or in attack - we definitely dominated possession of the ball.

2) We played 4 solid quarters of footie - not just one quarter, or a few minutes here and there

3) we had a number of players play their best footie for the year! (i know its still only early - but anyway): Tray, McKee, Laura, Lisa, Pam, Tash, Nat, Krystal, Brookers, Jem :-), Roachie, Cassie etc etc .

An interesting stat is that we were the first to score in every quarter. Another - is we kept Wests scoreless in the 3rd! Great stuff.

Something to address for future games:

The umpires have limited viewing options, and can often miss the angle that you might see. There is no point in arguing - in fact, the negative outcome could mean 50 metres to the other team, and you lose concentration on the game.

Whilst everyone had an exceptional game, just wanted to include a few more highlights:
- Pam’s verbal intimidation
- Dropkins (Lisa) was everywhere - and after taking a massive tackle or hit, would immediately get up, dust herself off and get on with it
- Brookers - who won players player - what did you have for breakfast, cause we all need to have it! Brooke was big on second efforts, putting on some of the best tackles we’ve seen this year. Also went in for every contest and most often won them, with a good sense of where the ball was heading.
- Tray’s massive tackle 3 metres in front of our goal!
- Consistent, solid & continuous mark taking by all!!
- More aggressive tackles by everyone
- Handballing out of the pack - especially by the midfielders
... and the list goes on.

Even one of the umpires came up to me after the game to congratulate you girls on the quality of your play!

Something I personally took from the game - was the importance of the communication between the runner, players and Groubes & myself.

Finally thanks again to the vols: Steve, Suzy, Anna, Lyn (flags) & Lynnie (medic) for their contribution. It was great to have 3 runners on such a hot day - and it was great to have Groubes back on the sidelines helping before & during the match to make things run smoothly. Also - a special thanks to Jo, who has been our best & most enthusiastic time keeper yet -
giving me 5 minute and hotcake breakdowns! ;-)

Jamie

GAME 5: 16/05/09

Newtown 10.11.71 def St George 6.7.43

Great to have another win under our belt, but a disappointing game considering that St George only had 17 players and we had 18 - plus 6 on the interchange.

Towards the end of the game, we lost a good size lead for St George to be close enough to win the game! Their momentum was increasing at a crucial point in the match, and we didn't seem to have the answers. Fortunately, towards the end of that quarter, we cemented the lead by scoring a couple of quick goals and keeping the ball out of our danger zone.

I'm relieved to say that it was definitely not our typical style of play – while we had intensity and purpose at times, it was only intermittent, and while we seemed to have most of the possession – didn't make the most of our opportunities, while St George made the most of theirs. The best I can take from this result, is that if we had to have a game like this, then it's better to have it in this part of the season, and not in the later stages! We did have some segments of good footie – leads being made that ended with marks, successful handballing out of the middle, rushed behinds instead of goals against us etc. Ninj & Kristy did well with shared rucking. Verna showed her crumbing skills and scored a few goals from putting herself in a good position and making the most of it. I'm not sure if we ended up with a player's player - but I would have given my vote this week to Ninj who really got into it. 2nd would have been Roxy, who's played well in every game this year - 10 points for consistency!

Thanks again to those who helped on the sidelines, Karen, Steve, Dropkins, Jem (who didnt see an ounce of footie due to stat taking) &Lynnie - who thankfully we didnt need her services! Talking about injuries - just incase you don't know - Jem is out for a while (hopefully only a few weeks :) with a broken rib - so make sure you make her laugh!

See you at training on Wednesday.

Jamie

GAME 6: 22/05/09

Newtown 5.8.38 def Balmain 2.3.13

Wow! Gobsmacked... again...

Congratulations team to a great effort and result! Well done - well deserved!

We had all players rise to the occasion, with players player - a tie this week - to Pam & Tash. This was the first week, I couldn't easily pick someone - and thought at least 10 people deserved the title. The defence (including the defensive midfield), limited Balmains opportunities to such an extent, that it was a major factor in our success. Really impressive!

Determination & hard work by all, ensured that we maintained a good lead that we earned in the first quarter. No doubt the hard yards put in at training on Wednesday in the rain, paid off!

Hopefully quick recoveries for Ninj, Brookers & Dropkins who all sustained heavy injuries.

Thanks especially to those who volunteered to stand in the rain and help out (the timing of the hoodies couldnt have been better Chevvy!): Suzy - first time on flags this week! Kris, Mel, Steve, Jodi, Lynnie, Groubes, Tezza & Paul Holdsworth. Thanks to Deb who helped raise over $200 with the donation of her currys & cooking skills. Also - thanks to those who helped out at the bbq on Saturday at canteen duty - especially Booridge - who singlehandedly started breakfast for swaflers - and continues to impress me both on and off the field :-).

Jamie 

ps Congratulations to Jo - who umpired her first official game on Saturday afternoon (with only 3 hours sleep & a belly fully of curry & sausages :-)

pss Saying of the week: by Suzy: "I really like having footie on a Friday night... because it gives me 2 days to find the car instead of 1"

GAME 7: 29/05/09

Newtown 130+ def Mac Uni 18

Mac Uni only had 11 players, so Le, Rosie, Ev (who scored one of their goals!) & Tezza volunteered to don their colours - so that we could play 15 a side. We also opted to play 4 x 15 min quarters - so a good score for 60 mins of footie.

The first half was as good as any footie we have played to date, with lots of marks and handballs - resulting in fairly quick goals. Kik did well in ruck in Nat's absence. Groubes had a run in the forward pocket with some great positional play. Verna, again showed her versatility, playing fullback, full forward & right half back!

Whilst everyone had a good game, Krystle & Jem both had blinders - I think Jem scored 7+ goals!

Thanks to the vols who made the sides even, also to those who came to help out and support on the sides - Stinger, Pam & Dropkins. Thanks to Steve & Danger Mouse for running water. Good luck to the state girls who are heading over to Perth - please come back the same way you go over :-)

Congratulations to Jo who encouraged a free flowing footie game with umpiring her first ever game - make sure to shout her a drink or two!

GAME 8: 20/06/09

Newtown 12-4-76 def UNSW 0-1-1

Firstly, a great effort by everyone today. It rained more than it didn't, so to even get to 50 in this type of weather - is a great achievement.

The first quarter score was 5-1-31 to 0-0-0. 5 goals and only 1 behind! A great start. We continued to play a good 2nd quarter with another 4 goals. The second half, we only managed 3 goals in 35 minutes - but to UNSW's credit, they were giving it everything they had - and the conditions were pretty average.

What looked good from the sidelines:
– Only ONE behind conceded!
– A lot of talking
– Mel - especially in the first quarter - getting in and going for everything - and converting kicks into goals
– Some great marks - especially Tash & Krystle
– Nat winning EVERY ruck
– Suzy scoring her first ever goal
– Seeing all of the backs having a run up front!

Overall, as Groubes said - a great game to get us back into footie mode - a good mix of seriousness, effort & fun!

Thanks to Karen who ran water, Stinger for doing Flags, Brookers for scoring and Lynnie who had to tend to Bomber's ankle.

GAME 9: 27/06/09

Newtown 3-6-24 drew with Wests 3-6-24

Phew!! Overall - a very good result. While we had a good lead in the first quarter, we then let Wests dominate for the next, but luckily we showed in the last that we really did want it - to score enough points to at least keep the 'undefeated' title! The match on the SWAFL web site is a more detailed report - and think there are some things we can take from it, so have included that in italics at the end of this one - Krystle - you might want to respond to the singing ;-) The game

We had an excellent first quarter with everyone giving a 100% and it showing on the field. In particular the defence was superb, and it was unfortunate that Wests scored a fast goal with 10 seconds to go.

The second quarter saw Jason play a tactic where all his forwards were out of the forward 50 from the ball-up. This then allowed a few to sneak quickly behind our last line of defence, and convert the opportunity to a quick 6 points. I think the speed of their first goal in that quarter rattled us a bit - allowing Wests to score another goal and a few behinds. In the third quarter - no goals were scored by either side - just a few behinds - and kept the game exceptionally close with only 7 or 8 points ever the difference.

We went all out in the last quarter and managed to be down only by 1 point with 5 minutes to go. With the ball mainly in our forward 50, both teams were playing desperate footie. With 55 seconds to go and now with both teams equal, Holdzy was knocked out and had to be stretchered off. We were unlucky not to be able to produce the extra point in the last minute, which wasn't helped by us over crowding our own forward 50 with too many non forwards. As mentioned by a number of players, it's great to retain the undefeated title, but this game was also a good reality check that we are not going to be given any win on a plate.

I think we should also take into consideration, that our preparation for this game was less than to be desired, with the last 4 to 5 weeks consisting of softer games (including 2 weeks with no games!) - and training sessions being somewhat sketchy with attendance, injuries & cancellations. Anyway, I'm excited about the prospect of putting in a stronger preparation, as I think we are still only using half our potential - and can't wait to see what we can produce in the next few weeks!

Players player this week went to Kris Pope who played her best game this year - great stuff Kris - fantastic to watch! (also for last week's game against Easts - Mel got players player - well deserved). Thanks to everyone who helped out on the sidelines this week - Groubes, Karen, Brookers, Bomber & Lynnie.

GAME 10: 04/07/09

Current official score: Newtown 7-5-47 defeated by Balmain 6-12-48 Our reckoning: Newtown 7-6-48 def Balmain 6-11-47

For those who weren't there, as you can see - a discrepancy in the final scores. Very disappointing for us, as you put up a good fight in the last quarter to come back from behind, and by Kik's, Groube's & David's reckoning, we had won the match by 1 point.

Balmain's flag person claimed that we only scored 2 behinds in the last quarter - where it was clearly 3. He also claimed that Balmain scored 2 behinds in the last quarter - but our scoring showed only 1.

Anyway, irrespective of whether we 'won' or whether we 'lost', either way, it's clear that we need to step up and lift our game, if we want to finish the season the way we started. In some respects - we were very lucky that Balmain's accuracy at goal is currently not one of their strengths, because they were firing more shots at goal than we were.

Last time we played these guys - we more than doubled their score and I know that our attitude and our fitness helped achieve that. We had too many clashes with our own girls going for the same ball - when we had time to sort it out, had the communication been better (a drill we did at training). This usually resulted in the ball falling out and not taking clear possession.

Our accuracy with getting handballs and kicks away under pressure didn't work as well as it has been, with the ball often landing nicely in the opponents hands. We gave away too many penalties. Mentally, we need to focus on the job at hand, and that means really thinking about footie while we are warming up, not just on the field.

On a positive, we did come back from being down in quarters 1 and 3 - which takes determination. We also had 6 people who were not a 100% with the flu or had niggling injuries, and did well to put in what they could - so much appreciated.

We also had some outstanding play - especially by Rosie who spoiled certain marks for Balmain in their forward 50 and played with continual intensity, and Ninj who dominated the 20 metre space around her for the entire game. Roachie as a sweeper - also helped to make it safer with the extra man in defence.

Next week's game is vs Sydney Uni, so we need to take this game very seriously. I don't like mentioning the F word - but I'll have to. Fitness - please, please, please don't just rely on trainings to get / keep fit - take advantage of Brooke's sessions and do some of your own. Especially work on cardio. So let's rise to the occasion, prepare for the game and put on our best for next week!

Thanks to Brookers for running messages, and Le and Karen for water. Lynnie thankfully didn't need the stretcher - though for a moment - thought Chevvy might have - hope you aren't too sore from that one.

GAME 11: 11/07/09

Newtown 13-6-84 defeated Sydney Uni 2-6-18

A great game to watch with 6 points scored in under the first 35 seconds!! Everyone rose to the occasion - and for the first time we played 3 full quarters - and not just 1 or 2.

This was one of the best games to watch for the whole year!! Pretty much, every quarter - we started with 6 points within the first 90 seconds.

As you can see by the score, accuracy with goal kicking helped with a fantastic ratio of goals to behinds. The other terrific result is that Uni only scored 2 goals the entire game!!

Great work in defence. This by far was the biggest win against Uni (who are a very credible side). Previously, Balmain beat them 55 to 26 (& lost to them 37 to 28), and Wests only beat them 41 to 26.
Other things that contributed to such a great win was as simple as 'playing as a team' - passing the ball around, backing up, etc. Mentally, we focussed for the whole game and really thought about the footie we were playing. My only comment about this game (& most of them) is that we are still relying on the same few people to put on the tackles.

After fitness, the next most important factor in winning games is TACKLING!! And you don't have to be a big muscly person to put on the tackles. Cassie put on the most this game with excellent results - great effort! Bomber took stats (from the 2nd quarter on), which I think are good to review to help with the next game. Below is a summary: In the 2nd quarter - the game was equal & you can see by the stats why. Key: TO:NP means turn overs under no pressure Team Stats Q2 Q3 Q4 Marks 4 3 10 Marks in for 50 2 5 5 Effective disposals 4 11 11 TO:NP 7 2 7 Tackles 19 21 20 Bumps 5 2 6 Shepherds 8 3 1 Spoils 2 3 4 Frees against 7 2 3 Brooke also took stats on tackles (q2 to q4) made by everyone individually. These were the top 5. 1st Cassie 8 + 2nd Krystle 7 + 3rd Tash & Roachie & Roxy & Taj all equal

Thanks to all those that helped out on the sidelines, as when that is organised, everything else seems to flow and seem less chaotic. Thanks to Karen for running water, Le with running messages, Lisa with Flags, Brookers with scoring, Lynnie, & Bomber for stats etc. I also want to thank Groubes big time, while she has been interstate for some training sessions lately, behind the scenes we discuss every game plan and approach to every game and her input has been invaluable! Tash also has contributed heaps of info re: game planning. Look forward to seeing everyone at training tonight. Jamie

fyi - for those who find too many co-incidences sometimes a little spooky, the following events took place on Saturday night... During our warm up talk, i produced a sign on sheet, that was the Breakaways very first game sign on sheet - where we played Sydney uni and beat them 11-16-82 to 3-6-24 (our accuracy wasnt as good!), anyway - players that were on that sheet that are still part of the Breakaways were: Taj, Groubie, Booridge, Chevvy, Lyn and myself. On Saturday night, I was made to go to Kuletos briefly to drop off Mel's watch - and I bumped into Wormie (Genivieve Delves) who was another person on that very first sign-on sheet and who I hadnt seen for nearly a year. I thought nothing of that, but felt a little nostalgic about it. I then walked down King street, and just before turning off to get to the Rose hotel, I come eye to eye with another of the players on that original sign on sheet - Verna Brinskeli - who I hadnt seen since 2002 when she last played!!! Unbelievable really... anyway, so I get to the Rose hotel to meet up with everyone - and an hour or so later, Nikki Richards walks in the door!! another player who was on that very first sign on sheet. Can you believe it??

GAME 12: 18/07/09

Newtown 29-18-192 def UNSW 0-0-0

Yes - you just read correctly!47 shots at goal. It also means it has taken our percentage from 206 to 275!!.

Today's game was played in memory of Bruiser who we will miss for a long time to come, but can be thankful that we knew her and that she wore the red & white for us. She definitely brought us closer today - and we saw the best team game this year.

With a score such as that - there is not much to complain about... It was a great result and a fantastic game to watch... marks were taken left right and centre, balls passed around out of the middle effectively, snap kicks, quick handballs and lots of talk and encouragement all contributed to this result.
The game play - even under pressure was unpanicked and players backed each other up. The defence - when they saw any action - maintained pressure for UNSW to not even score a behind! Other things of note, was Ninja who very deservedly won players player, playing in both ruck, wing & sweeper.
We also welcomed Brookers back onto the pitch - who played like she hadn't had a break! We only had 3 subs today, which worked to our advantage - it meant less 'stop starting' for players.
Today's game also gave us the opportunity to see how versatile some players really are - Pam alternating between Full Back and Forward Pocket. Another good result was we had minimal injuries - with Jem hurting (well... in a few places), but not enough to come off.

Thanks again for all those who helped out on the sidelines, Lynnie, Bomber for scoring, Karen & Steve for running water, Lisa for doing Flags (btw - Lisa sustained a minor injury whilst doing this when retrieving a ball over the fence :), Tash's Mum for retrieving balls (without injury), Mandy for making very funny comments and finally Le for running messages. Half the time I can't see what's happening further than 50 metres away, so it's Le's interpretation of the game and suggestions that allows Groubes & I to act accordingly.

Thanks everyone for a great game today and a big team effort! Jamie

GAME 13: 01/08/09

Newtown 17.10.112 def Shamrocks 4.3.27

Great game girls!! The first time we played them, we had 3 average quarters and 1 fired up quarter - this game it was the reverse - 3 fired up quarters where all players were switched on - physically and mentally.

By half time, we had scored 9 goals and they only scored 1 behind! .... 57 to 1!! ... This was a seriously good result considering that the Shamrocks are a very credible team and coming 4th on the ladder! With Nat os, and Ninj (who was to be our replacement ruck) sick, the challenge was up for Cassie who played brilliantly in this position. You would have thought that Cassie had played ruck all her footie life - and managed to be in the back pocket taking marks one minute, then up front in the forward pocket the next (by the way, you are not supposed to be in the forward 50 I just realised :-) ). Anyway - you had an absolute magic game Shak!

So many players had great games, it would take me too long to write - but you can see that to get to that kind of score, that it was a team effort and achievement and not just a few players.

Again, we had versatility with players playing unfamiliar positions ie Tray in right half back and keeping the ball way from her opponent. Lisa did well coming on to the pitch from injury to get first to the ball, and Holdzy containing her pain to kick with a major toe injury (again - another footie unrelated injury!)

Highlight(s) of the game:
1) Tash making a last ditch effort to win the golden boot award and scoring 3 goals in the final quarter - 1 being from around the 50 metre area
2) Breakaways with a new record for how long to score a goal from kickoff/ bounce off - 15 seconds!!! Penalty given to us from the centre throw... Cassie kicks to Roxy.... Roxy takes the mark about 50 metres out... has a shot ... and scores!! A 2 kick goal from the centre throw up!!!
3) Tezza (who had a major hamstring injury) chasing down her opponent who was at least 2 metres in front of her and completely taking her out (by legitimate tackle of course)
4) Roxy as Centre Half Forward running down to the oppositions forward 50 to help get the ball out of a defensive play and into an offensive one & snap kicking the goal of the year from a handball from Krystle
5) Suzy's rushed behind (tap through) that would otherwise have been a great opportunity for the Shamrocks
6) Overall good mark taking, lead making and team encouragement when we were faced with having to get back on track after an average 3rd quarter.

Lowlight(s) of the game:
1) Only one :-( ... Roxy in the last 30 seconds fracturing her wrist... Hopefully a speedy recovery Missy McGee ....

On another point...
MINOR PREMIERS Congratulate yourselves on obtaining the minor premier's position!! Regardless of the results for the next game, we will end up as number 1 on the swafl ladder, which is a great way to go into the semis.

I have to say "YOU GUYS ABSOLUTELY DESERVE IT!". There is no luck involved with getting to the number 1 position - you have played hard and have been determined to do your best every game - and have only been encouraging to each other at all times... well okay... there was that one time - but that was just for a minute! ... :-)

Also, I would like to wish the girls good luck who are playing next Saturday against the US Freedom team: Suzy, Ev and Verna. Go girls! And finally, thanks to Tash for taking the warm up (& Groubes & Tash for last week's training session), Angie for doing the flags, Groubes for pregame, game & post game discussions, Lynnie for being bi-able ie being the medic & videoing the game simultaneously, Karen for running messages + water, and we had a newcomer also help with running water - in the way of Tash's speedy mum - Yvette, who I am keen to sign up for next year! :-)

See you on Wednesday at training.

Jamie

GAME 14: 15/08/09

Newtown 63 def (not so saintly) St. George 18

There is an ad on tv with Arnie Schwarchzenegger saying "yooo cann doo eet!" ... guess what - "yooo deed eet!" you can claim the title of undefeated minor premiers!! For those who were not there - and yes - there were a few...

(Nat, Tash, Roachie, Chevvy, Jo, Amy, Cassie, Becks, Mel, McKee, Ninja, Roxy and Kik) i would like to set the scene of what resembled the battle field during the american civil war - with a group of red shorted girls strewn across the ground ... simultaneously!!

As it turned out - Kris had broken her nose and Jemma smothered a fantastic kick - but had used her stomach to do the smothering & not her arms. Seconds later - Brookers is down for the count, after a solid knee in the back of her neck and head. Prior to that, Penny, who played beautifully in CHF, had also 'gone down' late in the first quarter with her previous injury.

That doesnt include Krystle's SEVERAL collisions that I thought were definite sideliners... but no - like Jem on an earlier smash by the opposition... lay motionlessly for 30 seconds, then dusted themselves off - to get back into it. Very heart stopping - very inspiring stuff!

Congratulations go the girls who played in our midfield - with pretty much only 1 out of the 6 having experience at it before!! Lisa played in Roachies position - defensive midfield, Brookers and Krystle in the offensive midfield and Jem in ruck (Taj was at the game and thankfully did our flags - but with injuries from the Shamrocks game was only going to go on if the game was tight).

We had Ev on the left wing and Tray on the right wing. You girls connected right from the start and I was impressed with the passing around of the ball and the hardness of your playing.

Jem especially had a blinder and so did Krystle, Brookers & Lisa. The backs also played well - in particular Rosie perfectly timing hard hitting tackles and spoils. Kris was having a blinder until her injury. It was great to see minimal frees given away in their forward 50.

Anna had her comeback game & had an excellent 2nd quarter. Other comeback players were Mandy & Bomber, who had really strong games too. To help us out, we also had Penny - who played sensationally in the CHF position, weaving her magic until her injury. Mon showed us what she was made of (thanks for that :) ) and had a great run.

Le also showed her versatility and ability playing both in several positions. Up front, Bec needed 5 goals to outright win the golden boot award - and did well to score 4 - so along with 2 other players wins the 2009 swafl Golden Boot award! Well done Bec!!

Groubes also played fantastically up front and kicked a beauty from the boundary line with an angle of around 5°!! Holdzy got out of bed to come and play - and no doubt went straight back to bed - after all the running and effort she put on in the game. On the sidelines, thanks to the following:

Karen & Kev (Krystle's dad) running water, Mrs Anna scoring, Taj doing the flags and special thanks to Krystle's Mum who left the game to go and get a bag of ice for the injured! Lastly, thanks also to Tash who took our Monday night training session last night.

See everyone tomorrow night - and it's been suggested that we should all meet at the Parkview after training for a team bite to eat - which is a terrific idea - even if you can only come for one drink, it would be great to see everyone there. You never know - Pink might be there :-) Jamie ps only 4 more sleeps!!!

GAME 15

QTR FINAL

SEMI FINAL

2009 GRAND FINAL

Newtown 8.2.50 def Wests 5.7.37

Goals: Newtown – Verna Iles 2, Laura Holdsworth 2, Melissa Daley 1,Natasha Devlin 1, Rebecca Burridge 2.

Wests – Talei Owen 3, Baccara Griffiths 1 + 1 more.
Our Players Player to Cassie Lees with 11 votes - with Jem closely behind on 10 votes.

Wheelllllll.... a breakaway is all i wanna be!! You guys rock - each and everyone of you! Whether you played on the day or played through the season to help us get into the GF - or helped with the off field team necessities - everyone collectively has shown the passion and dedication when it matters the most!
Like all the games that we have played against Wests - things could not have been tighter. As you can see by the scores we were down at quarter time by 3, even at half time, and only leading by 6 going into the last quarter.
There were a number of incredible feats that had one of them not been the situation - i really think the game could have swung the other way:
1) as mentioned by Lance - no behinds until the last 5 minutes - so great goal kicking accuracy!
2) Lisa's tight marking on Cynthia - one of their key forwards - and doing this with a chest infection! Major achievement - likewise - with Mandy on Geeza & Rosie & Jo on Cassie B & Pam on her opponent. Special mention of Mandy's retirement and the guts it took to play the last few weeks with injuries. Good luck to a very special Breakaway - you have been the consummate sportswoman!
3) Kris's impact in defence - while playing with a broken nose and a fractured finger that is being operated on Tuesday (which she didnt tell me about until after the game!)
4) Roachie's reading of the game and stopping massive amounts of their opportunities
5) Tash going BACK ON after her knee injury to score points with her great positioning & accurate kicking - and playing her usual dynamo role before that
6) Jem's adaptability and flexibility to jump into the middle pack - when Tash came off
7) this is a massive one.... Nat's performance in ruck playing against Woody! Nat won rucks left, right & centre and spoiled many balls that were looking otherwise like marks for Woody. Saturday's game showed that you are the best ruck in the comp!
8) Tray playing in a position she has rarely if ever played - on the wing - and manned up beautifully
9) Taj putting on the tackles and playing her usual hard style of footie - congratulations by the way on playing in every year of the 10 years SWAFL has been official - AND also playing in 9 of the 10 grand finals!!
10) Krystle 'containing' the uncontainable Talei. Just as Talei was getting her game momentum on, Krystle minimised West's opportunities by keeping Talei quiet in the last quarter.
11) Verna's solid mark taking & accurate kicking - for a first yearer - amazing
12) unbelievable goal from Bec from on the run and deep in the pocket
13) Laura's entire game - and goal kicking - you clearly saved your best game of the year Holdzy for the GF - well done!!
14) Cassie's never say die attitude!! Playing her usual physical game as a team player - bumping, tackling, and shepherding endlessly.
15) Second efforts by Mel & Ninj up front & Ninj giving one of the best CHBs - Dee - a run for her money. Also - farewell to Mel as her last year too - great last year Mel!
16) Having a flexible and strong interchange : Ames, Chevvy, Ev, Le & McKee - thanks!
17) Clear communication between Groubes, Rox & myself
Everyone did what was asked of them - and as said by many people including supporters and players - that we wanted it more in the fourth quarter - the quarter that was going to be the most important. I think Kris's comment after the game typified what most of you seemed to do - and that was she was exhausted going into the fourth, but from somewhere inside, drew the energy and adrenalin to lift to put on the biggest fight to make it yours!
THANKS also needs to be said to the following for both the GF day and the entire year's efforts:
- Roxy for running more than anyone on the field with messages :),
- Lynnie dedicating her time to being our (very busy) medic!
- Brookers devoting her Thursdays to fitness and conducting the warm ups at trainings
- Kev & Karen running water (and all the others that helped during the year)
- Jo for setting up the change rooms - great way to start the GF,
- Bomber for doing stats (still to come) & organising the filming
- Chev & Groubes for banner making,
- David for organising balloons at the game - but ALSO another big thanks for organising the party decorations at the pub!! I didnt realise this to afterwards. It felt really special to walk into the pub yesterday which was covered in red & white streamers and red & white balloons. It really set the mood - so thanks again David and to anyone who helped you do that
- Nikki Richards for the inspiring & totally original speech in the change room :) - i might need to 'borrow' that sometime
- all our supporters, but especially Tee, who drove from Canberra, especially to watch the game and all her supportive comments throughout the year!!
- Tash for filling in at training sessions, developing drills and for creating the Tash Pash!
- Nat & Roachie's inspiration and level headness as our captains
- Bec for managing the team - big stuff & well done (also congrats on being one of the winners for the Golden Boot award)
- Le, Jo & Jem for their voluntary roles within SWAFL on behalf of the Newtown team - btw Jem - you are a brilliant President
- the second most important woman in my life - Groubes!! your knowledge of AFL and your input into the preparation of weekly games including game plans and team profiles contributed massively to our success, but probably most of all, I cherished your honest feedback and your verbal support, which I have never experienced in my entire sporting life! Thanks Mate!!
Enjoy your success - you DESERVE it!! Go Breakaways!!
See everyone at the SWAFL presentation which is a major one in that it is celebrating 10 years of Women's AFL in Sydney.